Patriots: It’s time to trade Joe Thuney with deadline approaching

The deadline to sign franchise-tagged players is July 15, and the Patriots need to make a decision on Joe Thuney.

The New England Patriots slapped the franchise tag on star offensive lineman Joe Thuney this offseason, meaning he’ll earn just a tad under $15 million for 2020. But the deadline to sign Thuney to an extension under the tag is July 15, and Bill Belichick needs to make a decision.

With talks seemingly not progressing over the course of the last few months, what should the team do? Let’s be honest, Thuney is a great player, but if there’s no chance he’ll be signing a multi-year deal, is there really any reason for him to play 2020 with the Pats and then move on in free agency?

Some might say yes, especially after the signing of Cam Newton. But what if there was a better solution?

The salary cap situation for 2021 and beyond is still cloudy given he pandemic, so it’s possible the Patriots aren’t willing to commit big long-term dollars to Thuney, especially given how well they draft offensive lineman (though, without Dante Scarnecchia…stay tuned).

If that’s the case, then the Patriots need to trade him, plain and simple. Thuney’s durability has been unreal — he’s played in all 64 games since debuting in 2016. However, it’s not exactly the “Patriot Way” to have lingering contract issues heading into the season. Belichick would be better off lowering his asking price, dealing Thuney, and signing Larry Warford.

Warford is just a year older than Thuney and will undoubtedly cost less money. He was cut by the New Orleans Saints as a cap casualty and is now looking for a multi-year deal. Why not get a high draft pick for Thuney, unload his $14.78 million salary, and give Warford, say, a three-year deal with that cash (plus the settlement money from Brown and Hernandez)?

Warford wants around $7 million per season. You’re telling me Belichick can’t make that happen? The 29-year-old has been named to three straight Pro Bowls and is in the prime of his career. If he’s going to cost less than Thuney and relieve the Patriots of a headache, then this is the perfect solution.

We’re by no means saying move on from Thuney because he’s incapable or because Warford is better. In a perfect world, the former third-round pick would be with the Patriots for the foreseeable future.

But it doesn’t seem to be materializing that way, so the team needs a bold solution before the July 15 deadline.